Enderby woman pleads guilty in animal cruelty case

The operator of an Enderby kennel has pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge.

Shalah Dawn Nelson, born in 1978, pleaded guilty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in Salmon Arm Provincial Court Monday to one count of causing an animal to continue to be in distress in connection with an incident involving a neighbour’s dog at her Enderby property in December 2016.

Two Criminal Code of Canada charges of killing or injuring an animal and causing unnecessary pain/suffering to an animal against Nelson were stayed by Crown counsel.

“Based on the information received from the defence, it was determined prosecution was not required to serve the best interest of the public,” said Crown lawyer Alex Janse on why the Criminal Code charges were stayed.

Janse said in December 2016, Nelson’s neighbour’s dog came onto Nelson’s property and, to prevent the dog from mating with her dog or her client’s dogs, Nelson tied an elastic hair band around the visiting dog’s testicles.

The dog went back to its home where the owner found the hair band still tied to the dog. The animal was taken to a vet and required surgery. Police were called to investigate, and when they questioned Nelson, she admitted to tying the hair band around the dog’s testicles.

Judge Dennis Morgan fined Nelson $1,000 and put her on 12-months probation, which includes not having any contact with the victim dog’s owner. She was also ordered to pay the owner $850 restitution.